Ghirahim
Ghirahim (Pronounced /ɡɪə.ɹɑːˈhiːm/, geer-rah-HEEM) is one of two primary antagonists featured in Skyward Sword. He is a figure of authority in the land below Skyloft, and he thinks quite highly of himself, preferring to be called Lord Ghirahim. His main objective is continuously hunting for Zelda, in order to use her spirit as a goddess for his plan to resurrect his master, Demise. Although at first Ghirahim thinks little of Link and his presence, the Demon Lord grows frustrated and erratic as he realizes the young hero is an obstacle to his plans. History Ghirahim Reveals Himself After Link wins the Wing Ceremony, Ghirahim summons a tornado near Skyloft which sucks up Zelda in an attempt to capture the Spirit Maiden. However, those plans fail to come to fruition due to Impa's intervention. Ghirahim and Link, both pursuing Zelda, initially meet in the Skyview Temple, where the young hero finds the Demon Lord attempting to open the door leading to the Skyview Spring. Angered by the turn of events, Ghirahim vents his irritation by engaging Link in combat, promising to not murder the young hero as it would be unfair, and instead decides to beat Link "within an inch of his life." Despite the threats, Link defeats Ghirahim, who is surprised at Link's skills but reminds him that the Goddess Sword is the only reason he is still alive. With Zelda's presence already faded, Ghirahim leaves, but not before warning Link that he would kill him if their paths crossed again. Continuing the Pursuit Ghirahim constantly pursues Zelda and nearly captures her on several occasions. In one instance, Zelda is captured by Bokoblin forces, but upon Ghirahim's arrival, however, he discovers that Impa has rescued her. After venting about the situation to Link, he summons Scaldera to take his frustration out on him and leaves. Later, Ghirahim nearly reaches her at the Temple of Time at the edge of Lanayru Desert, where he interrupts Link and Zelda's reunion by making his way in through the debris. Creating a barrier to prevent Link from interfering, he goes after Zelda but is stopped by a protective barrier created by Impa. Ghirahim, however, is eventually able to break through Impa's defense and readies to deliver the final blow when Link, with Ghirahim's barrier fully vanished, intercedes by attacking the Demon Lord from behind. This gives enough time for Impa and Zelda to escape through the Gate of Time, with the former fully obliterating the gate to impede Ghirahim from following them. Blaming himself for not having reprimanded Link in their last encounter, Ghirahim vows to severely crush Link senseless next time they meet. At the Ancient Cistern, Ghirahim is waiting for Link, once again expressing his frustration due to Link's constant interference. Before disappearing, he infuses a statue with dark energy, causing it to attack Link. Later, Ghirahim appears to Link again at the Fire Sanctuary, where he claims their frequent encounters are due to the "thread of fate" to which they are bound. The Demon Lord then explains his joy and relief at his discovery of a second Gate of Time and, although he had promised to violently punish Link, he decides to spare the young hero's life should he reveal the location of said gate. When Link refuses, Ghirahim reveals his second form and admires himself before the two engage in battle again, claiming that he will have no mercy on the young hero. However, Link emerges victorious in the end, irritating and humiliating Ghirahim since he, a Demon Lord, was unable to defeat him and keeps on being bested by a human child. Before retreating, he reminds Link that he is still nothing and will drag him into "an eternity of torment" at all costs. Demise's Resurrection Ghirahim is unsuccessful in reaching Zelda before Link can destroy Demise in their time; however, the sense of security brought on by Demise's destruction causes Zelda to awaken from her slumber. At this moment, Ghirahim strikes and finally abducts Zelda; he takes her back to the past where Demise is still sealed, but alive, and sacrifices her to his master. Link rushes to stop the ritual, but Ghirahim summons hordes of enemies and magic Barriers to slow him down and buy Ghirahim time. Defeating the horde, Link eventually reaches the Demon Lord, who, having grown tired of Link's persistent interventions, decides to finally finish the young hero off in a "humiliating death." Ghirahim reveals his true form as Demise's Sword and calls himself a fool for having shown mercy to Link in the first place. Although he is significantly more powerful in this form, Link still triumphs, much to Ghirahim's despair. Ghirahim, however, declares that the ritual continued during the fight, and Zelda's soul is consumed by Demise, who appears in humanoid form and promptly takes his sword back. Ghirahim laughs hysterically as he transforms back into his true form: a sword in Demise's hand. When Demise suffers a fatal blow at Link's hand, the Ghirahim-sword disappears shortly before Demise dies and restores Zelda's soul. What this means for Ghirahim's ultimate fate is unknown. Personality Ghirahim is portrayed as a flamboyant, seemingly calm, overconfident opponent whose only goal is to capture Zelda and use her to revive Demise, his master. His mannerisms are exaggerated and theatrical, speaking in an eloquent, flashy style when addressing others. Ghirahim is also conceited and vain when it comes to flaunting his own appearance, which he regards as "stunning," "exquisite," and "pure."14 He acts formally and politely towards Link, at first claiming to be "uncivil" since he had not yet properly introduced himself to the young hero when they first met. Despite this, he is not above insulting others and calling them juvenile names, mocking them at any chance he gets. Since he considers himself to be superior to humans and an honorable fighter, he at first chooses not to murder Link immediately as it would be unfair for the young hero. Nonetheless, Ghirahim enjoys toying with others and making them suffer until he has been satisfied. However, when things do not go the way he plans, the Demon Lord loses his composure and becomes an erratic, violent fiend who seeks to take out his anger on someone else while satisfying his "strong appetite for bloodshed." In reality, Ghirahim shows himself to be a merciless, uncontrollable lunatic who merely hungers for battle and the brutal massacre of his enemies. This is demonstrated several times throughout the game; he first claims that he will beat Link to "within an inch of his life", then promises to deafen his ears with the "shrill sound of his own screams", and lastly says that he will beat Link senseless to deliver a final blow, thus "snuffing out the flame of his life." Despite all his disturbing and ruthless threats, Ghirahim can never best Link and becomes incredibly frustrated, outraged, and aggravated at the fact that a mere human could defeat him. Gallery Category:Nintendo Characters Category:The Legend of Zelda Characters Category:Wii Debut Category:All Characters Category:Ganondorf's minions